KOLKATA, March 16: India’s pocket-sized genius Sachin Tendulkar was a happy man, having reached the 10,000-run mark on Wednesday in the second cricket Test and said it wasn’t easy to get there.“I am happy to have got those runs and for me these are as important as my runs in one-day cricket,” he told journalists after the close of first day’s play. “It is not easy to get so many runs in Tests, but it is all team work, I have had support of my family and team-mates all along.” Tendulkar, who was 27 runs short of equalling the mark at the start of the day, was also bidding for a record 35th Test century but was unable to get it and fell for 52. In Mohali where the first Test was played, the batsman had gone quite close, missing his hundred by only six runs.
“It will be a great feeling to get the 35th century and I am sure it will come soon.” The century, whenever it comes, will take Tendulkar past compatriot Sunil Gavaskar.
He hoped that the remaining Indian batsmen would be able to score more runs after the home side lost four wickets in the last session on Wednesday to finish on 344 for six. “We were in control at tea but lost key wickets.”
Meanwhile, Rahul Dravid with whom Tendulkar shared a 122-run third wicket stand, was unhappy that he got dismissed in the last over. “I had wanted to take my side past 450 but I hope that the rest of the batsmen are able to achieve that,” he said after scoring 110 runs before edging Danish Kaneria to wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal,
“I did not face problems against Kaneria because I had studied him closely, I had done my homework.”
He said that he enjoyed batting on the wicket which was helping the batsmen and added that the Indian spinners would play an important role on it in the last two days. “I have good memories of Eden and this was one of (my) best innings.”
Dravid agreed that Pakistan had come back well into the match and said that it was now evenly poised.
Leading Test batsmen
(Tabulated as players, matches, runs, average, centuries):
A.R. Border (Australia) 156 11,174 50.56 27
S.R. Waugh (Australia) 168 10,927 51.06 32
S.M. Gavaskar (India) 125 10,122 51.12 34
B.C. Lara (West Indies) 112 10,094 52.84 26
S.R. Tendulkar (India) 122 10,025 57.61 34
G.A. Gooch (England) 118 8,900 42.58 20
Javed Miandad (Pakistan) 124 8,832 52.57 23
I.V.A. Richards (West Indies) 121 8,540 50.23 24
Note: Tendulkar and Lara are the only batsmen in this list still playing Test cricket.
